


Humility

by Followyourwaytodawn



Series: Witchy Flowershop au [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Language of Flowers, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 00:25:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16902597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Followyourwaytodawn/pseuds/Followyourwaytodawn
Summary: Sora catches Riku sneaking out of the flower shop early in the morning. What is he up to?





	Humility

**Author's Note:**

> A short Photosynthesis drabble for Soriku day!  
> There is a companion art piece by the lovely Kahazel!  
> https://twitter.com/kahazel_/status/1071265243861581824?s=19

As soon as the sun crested the distant hills, Sora was up and ready to start his day. The arrival of his magic shifted not only his whole life, but his entire sleep schedule as well. The sun gave him energy, and that explained why he sat in Riku's shop at sunrise with a warm mug of tea for company. His presence roused the sleeping buds, causing many of the flowers to begin opening their petals and leaves unfurled. The ivy, an ever-present friend, was creeping its way across the dark wooden counter. Sora reached over and brought a vine close. He found if at least one was near, the whole plant would stop trying to find him.

Chuckling into his mug, he gently patted a leaf of his companion, enjoying the stillness of the morning. Sora breathed in the scents of the awakening flowers, relaxing back into the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. In a bid to ward off the morning chill, he had dragged it from his bed. Were it not for the sun, he felt comfortable enough to drift back to sleep.

A quiet creak stirred the soundless morning. Riku emerged from the back of the shop, seeming to take no notice of Sora. He greeted some of his flowers fondly, before quickly making his way to the door. Sora could tell he was up to something.

“Got something special to do today?”

Riku had the door half opened but slammed it shut as he whipped around to look at Sora, “Wh- no! Why are you up?” His entire body tensed, ready to jump away at a second's notice.

“Oh, okay, so then it wouldn't be a problem if I came with you?” Sora grinned mischievously as he set down his mug and moved to get up from his chair.

A panicked look crossed Riku's face, and he started fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve, “Wait!!”

Sora stopped, surprised at the outburst. Riku rarely raised his voice. A nervous second passed as Riku's panicked expression changed to something more conflicted as if he were weighing the pros and cons of having Sora tag along. Sora almost laughed; he knew that expression well. It usually came just before Riku would break down and let him do what he wanted. Shoulders dropping, Riku sighed, “Not a word to anyone in town, you hear me? This is- just-  _ quietly _ .”

Sora tossed the blanket over the chair back and quickly rounded the corner to meet Riku. A bright, excited smile crossed his face as they exited the shop. The witch looked a little embarrassed.

“This will be good practice for you, that is why you're coming along,” Riku muttered as he locked up the shop. He gestured toward the town and began to lead Sora in that direction. They walked in silence until Riku spoke up, “The spring festival is coming up… so we have to finish this today.”

“Wait, the spring festival? I thought you said you didn't participate?” Sora asked, thoroughly confused. Just a few days prior, they had lunch with Kairi and Carole, and the two ladies had exchanged a look before trying to goad Riku into attendance. He told them a resolute no, saying it was not his place. He offered no further explanation, but Carol gave a knowing look to her granddaughter and laughed.

“I don't,” Riku responded, stopping to speak to a few pink flowered vines hanging over a brick wall just outside of the main town center. The flowers’ color shone brighter and the leaves a lush, healthy green. Sora watched as the they gradually turned towards him. Clematis, he recognized them from the greenhouse. The flower of humility, that was their meaning.

“So, why are we doing this?” 

Riku paused, letting a vine shoot slip from his hand, “Several years ago, a late spring frost hurt most of the plants around this area. They didn't bloom well for the festival, and many of the villagers were upset. Took it as a sign of misfortune to come. I was still an apprentice at the time, so there was not much I could do.” He turned away from the flowers, not meeting Sora's eyes. “Now, every year, I've gone out to make sure the plants are fortified and look their best, just in case. I want the village to enjoy their time. It's my way to say thank you to them. They took care of me when I needed it, so I'll help take care of them.”

Sora noticed a soft expression crept across his face as he spoke of the village. Riku hardly spoke much on his past, so Sora listened whenever it was brought up. With a fond smile, Sora reached out and took his hand, “Riku… That's really sweet.”

Riku flushed a pink to rival the flowers, “No, I-” he stopped himself with a short laugh. “It's just the right thing to do.” Riku finally met Sora's gaze with a new light in his eyes and a smile Sora had never seen on him before. It was some kind of fondness and honesty, he wanted Riku to look at him that way so much more often.

“Come on, there's a lot more work to do,” Riku said as he gave Sora's hand a gentle tug. Sora followed closely, endeared to this new side of Riku he had found. Hopefully, he would see a lot more of it.


End file.
